The Trinity of Shadows
by dreamer1293
Summary: It's the age old question...What if the golden trio weren't quite so golden? What if they were something darker? Follow Harry as he grows to defeat Voldemort and become something far worse. How will teachers react to the sullen, cold, little savior? Will the Weasley's accept Ron's Slytherin nature? And what does Hermione have up her sleeve for their future? Witness their first year
1. Prologue

**A/N- This is hopefully going to be a multi chaptered fic. But I've thought that before. Truth is I have lots of ideas but I'm terrible at follow through when it comes to stories so if you like it and want to read more….REVIEW!**

In the latter half of his life Harry Potter began to wonder when exactly it was that he lost all semblance of a childhood. What specific event broke him so completely as a child, it turned him into the man he would become? It was only in the last couple days of his life that he finally decided what it was.

His seventh birthday was a normal enough day. Aunt screams him awake, tortured at school by cousin and gang, then come home for another rousing episode of ignore the slave until you get upset and hit him. That's how it was. Every day, all day, for as long as he could remember. Except that day.

Harry entered the pristine number 4 behind Dudley as usual that day. Walking straight to his cupboard to do his homework and trying not to make a sound as the bruises from that day's beating (both the one at breakfast and school) when he saw his uncle standing in front of the door. He looked up but only to neck level, Uncle Vernon had a habit of going crazy if Harry ever dared to look him in the eye.

"Just where do you think you're going!" Uncle Vernon said, spittle flying from his mouth in fury.

"T-to my cupboard, sir"

"Not Today!" Grabbing Harry by the arm he drags him into the kitchen. Aunt Petunia is standing by the bread drawer and Harry's heart sank, knowing this could only end in tears.

"Do you know why we are here?" Uncle Vernon's looking at him now, a strange mix of fury and expectation.

"No, sir", but he did. It was an often occurrence in number four privet drive for Harry to be denied food. Last night he was sent to his cupboard with no food in his belly, for the third night in a row. So he snuck out around midnight and stole some bread from the kitchen. He had to, if he didn't he would DIE! But standing here now he feels, maybe it wasn't the wisest decision.

"Well, now we know what a despicable, lying little shit you are don't we?" Uncle Vernon gives a nasty laugh and looks at Petunia. Then turns back, grabbing Harry's little arms in a vice grip and screaming directly in his face.

"You STOLE FROM US! After all we've done for you, you ungrateful-" This is when the hitting starts. He always knew it was going to but for some reason, in his little 7 year old mind, he thought this couldn't happen today. It was his birthday. He started crying as he was knocked to the floor and tried to crawl away.

"Please st-stop, it's my birthday" he sobbed. And they did stop but only to laugh. When Uncle Vernon turned back to look at him on the floor, pathetic and sniveling, he had the most evil smile Harry had ever seen. And he just knew, there was no way he was going to get out of this. And it was going to be terrible.

It happened a little earlier for Hermione. Of course it did, she was always more mature than 'her boys', and things had always affected her differently because she was, in all modesty a genius. She was, the school had her tested.

* * *

She always had been, ever since she was a little girl teachers had tried bumping her up a level in school and she would run home excitedly to tell her parents how well she did. But they were important dentists and couldn't be bothered with caring about or for their little lonely daughter.

The teachers almost made up for the neglect of her parents. Almost. Whenever she got bumped up to a more advanced class the teachers always gushed over her, all anxious to leave their mark on the little genius before she grew up to "be something… something great". Because she was smart that was what was expected of her and since she had never received any sort of affection for anything else in her life she had always felt obligated to do just that.

Maybe that's why she became what she did. Well, that and what happened one summer day when she was five. Because all that neglect and pseudo-love from artificial sources due to her genius is enough to severely mess anyone up but not to break them. Not turn them into one third of the most ruthless and power hungry trio of killers ever to set foot in the Wizarding World.

It was the end of another school year. Something that always upset Hermione Granger. She was five years old but she knew far more than most people her age, far more than most adults. And she knew what the end of school brought. Loneliness and neglect. She doesn't know why her parents don't love her, she tries so hard to prove she's worthy of it.

Hell, she five years old and in the ninth grade at school, going to advanced classes with people almost three times her age. You'd think that would be enough to make them proud. Yet every day she comes home from school, her dad is in his favorite chair reading the paper and only says 'that's nice', her mother is at the table doing a crossword saying 'good job sweetie'.

Neither of them looks up, in fact she can't remember the last time they looked at her. Sometimes she thinks that if they were in a mall together, her parents wouldn't be able to pick her out of the crowd. But genius is nothing without persistence and so she keeps trying. That's why she was sitting here in the principal's office on the last day of school, trying to get the schedule for university classes she was going to take over the summer.

"Well here you go Miss Granger, sorry for the wait." He passed her the schedule with a genial smile. Scrambling away from her thoughts she replied with a small thank you. As she got up to go he said,

"Your parents must be so proud of you" They always said that and it always hurt. She waited a beat too long before saying,

"Of course they are, why wouldn't they be?" She left quickly after, hoping he didn't see the scared look on her face. She left through the back of the school when they caught up to her. It was Tommy and his gang, her main tormentors. They were so jealous of her intellect and too stupid to know that's why they hated her. She sped up hoping they wouldn't keep following her, as usual hope was futile.

"Well, well boys what do we have here?" Cue stupid, ugly, laughter. They had stopped right in front of her and quickly surrounded.

"What do you want Tommy? I've got to go home." She made herself sound bored to keep the fear at bay. Last time they did this after school they left her hanging upside down in a tree. It took forever to get down and it was almost 10pm by the time she got home.

"We couldn't help but hear about your little brown nosing ass in the principal's office today. Seems you're going to college, huh. You sure are full of yourself, thinking you're so smart, you come up in here and make the rest of us look like fools. I DON'T THINK SO!" With every word he got angrier and louder. Stepping closer and closer to her until she had backed into one of his goons. That's when the real trouble started.

They descended on her with mean smiles and grabby hands, talking so loud and fast she couldn't distinguish their words. They took her backpack and threw it to the side before ripping her clothes off. She started crying and they slapped her. Tommy took out a knife and started cutting off her long curly hair.

They pushed her around a bit until she was on the ground, sniveling and whimpering pathetically, staring up at them as they called her names and laughed while she tried to cover herself and hide her face in shame. She was practically bald now and couldn't hide behind her hair so she just stared at the ground as her eyes got darker. She looked up coldly at the boys retreating backs. Tears dried on her face as she got up and walked home.

She walked through the door and there was father reading the paper. He didn't look up but said,

"Welcome home sweetie, how was school?" She didn't answer but went into the kitchen. He kept reading, unconcerned. Her mother was at the table doing a crossword.

"Are you hungry? What do you want for dinner?" She asked. When Hermione didn't respond Mrs. Granger glanced up then back to her crossword before she remarked,

"Did you do something to your hair? I like it." With that, the last bit of hope Hermione had was broken. There was no fairness or justice in a world that belittled and tortured her for her gifts. No love or compassion is possible if the only people in the world that are genetically obligated to feel that for you can't be bothered.

She wanted to scream but instead she went to her room and got dressed. Knowing someday she would have revenge and after that, she'd make sure no one ever made her feel that small and powerless again.

* * *

Growing up Ron was probably the last person you'd ever suspect of becoming what he did. He was a happy-go-lucky kid with an eye for adventure, though few noticed that about him. He came from a big and loving family and despite not having very much money, no one could really say they were poor in the ways that mattered.

Although all of that was true, no family is perfect. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had seven kids and each one was known for something, they had a place. Bill was the oldest, a natural protector, he created cool; he just oozed it. Charlie was the athlete, strong and confident even as a child he was known for his passion for adventure and testing his limits. Percy was the good one, always did his chores without complaint always tattled because of his unshakable belief in a black and white version of right and wrong and the consequences for both.

Then there were the twins. Fred and George were so close in personality and friendship everyone pretty much counted them as on person, even they did. They were the troublemakers, the pranksters that always brought a smile to everyone's faces even in the tensest of situations. Last but not least was Ginny.

The only girl in a house of boys she never had trouble standing out. She was known for being sweet yet spunky, she could hold her own in a fight with any of her brothers but she had the advantage of being the baby and therefore, never getting into trouble for anything she did. At least not like anyone else would get into.

That was it, everyone in the family. Well, except for Ron.

Ronald Weasley, nobody ever really thought of him when they thought of the Weasley family. For some reason he was just… forgettable. Being the youngest boy with five older brothers to compete with is no laughing matter. It seemed, to him at least, by the tender age of seven that no matter how hard he tried nobody in his family even knew who he was and they couldn't even find the time to get to know him.

Too little to play with his brothers, he couldn't play with Ginny unless he wanted to be ridiculed, and his parents were practically oblivious to him. He wasn't polite and helpful like Percy or funny and outgoing like the twins. He was just average. And in a loud and boisterous family like his, average was synonymous with invisible.

In later years Ron would reflect on all of this and wonder how different his life would have been if just that one thing was different. If his parents and brothers just noticed him. Maybe if he was a different person it wouldn't have turned out like it did. See unlike Harry, Ron always knew what it was that broke him and it wasn't all his family's fault. In fact, for most of his life, he blamed himself.

He was seven when it happened. He was practically invisible to his family and none of his siblings wanted to play with him, so he spent most of his time wandering Ottery St. Catchpole exploring. The muggle village had many interesting things that he was more than happy to investigate. Maybe he could even nick something and bring it home for dad.

It was fall, school had just started and Ron's teacher was so nice to him. He always put a smiley face on anything he gave back to Ron, even Ron's math homework which was never very good. But it was the most anyone had paid attention to him in his short life and he always beamed whenever he saw his cool teacher Mr. Addison.

He beamed at him that day, the one burned in his memory. Over the years he forgot that he used to do that. But he remembers every aspect of that day. He was bored, it was Saturday and the twins were playing Quidditch. Bill, Charlie, and Percy were at Hogwarts since school had started, and Ginny was making cookies with Mum. They loved having their special girl time and he knew he couldn't interrupt.

So he went exploring. Walking up the north walk toward the outskirts of Ottery he was kicking a rock around when he bumped into Mr. Addison. Looking up he beamed hello and Mr. Addison smiled.

"What'cha doing 'round here Ronnie?" Ron always thought it was weird Mr. Addison called him that. Only his mother ever had and that was when he was sick. It felt too intimate for his teacher to throw around so casually but… whatever.

"I'm just walking." Ron replied.

"Well, that's very healthy" He chuckled. Then turned serious and looked around.

"I live not far from here. You must be hungry, would you like to come over and eat?"

"Well…"

"I've got cake" He wheedled. Ron was excited instantly; they almost never got such sweet deserts like cake at home, now he could have some all for himself.

"OK!" They walked a little ways to Mr. Addison's cottage, a small one room thing where the door opened into the kitchen which led to the bedroom. Ron noticed the messy bed right away and giggled. Teachers really were human.

Ron went right for the table as Mr. Addison got a slice of cake out for him. As Ron ate he began to feel uncomfortable. Mr. Addison hadn't given him a fork so he just dove right in with his hands and now Mr. Addison was staring at him. It was a strange stare too, not like his mother's mad one if any of them forgot their manners for even a second. When he finished he looked up at Mr. Addison and asked what was wrong. He scooted over to Ron and enveloped his tiny hand within his huge one.

"You're very special Ron, you know that right?" No one had ever told him that before and it made him blush. The way Mr. Addison was looking at him, and stroking his hand, it all felt like too much and he wanted to go home. He told Mr. Addison as much, and that's when things changed.

"Not just yet, I have a game to play first. Weren't you complaining just the other day about how your brothers never let you play with them? Well now you can play with me." And he smiled but it was meaner now and his grip on Ron's hand was tighter as he dragged Ron into the bedroom.

"Well, look at that face. How messy! Let's get that cleaned up shall we?" He was smirking as he leaned down. Ron remembered that very well, the smirk… and his eyes. That first time, the image never left him.

It was rough and Ron cried and screamed and bled through parts of it and in the end all he was left with was a sore bottom and the memory of those eyes.

It was 9:30 by the time he made it home that night. The dishes were cleaning themselves in the sink, so they'd already had dinner. He wondered for a moment why no one had come looking for him when he didn't come to dinner but dismissed it. Why would they? He was nothing to bother with, he had always known that deep down but never had it sunk in so deeply, or stung as sharply as when he walked by the den to get to the staircase.

Here was his family, reading a letter from Charlie by the sounds of it. Mum was hold Ginny on the couch as they listened and the twins were comparing chocolate frog cards by the fire as Dad read the letter aloud, amusement in his voice. None of them asked what was wrong, or where he was, they didn't even notice him standing there.

He had never felt so small and insignificant in his life. It always hurt when he was ignored but what just happened….he couldn't even form an opinion on what had just happened to him but he knew he hated it. Standing there, he felt powerless and weak. Pathetic. And if it was the last thing he did, he would make sure he never felt that way again.


	2. Letters and Trains

His Hogwarts letter came on a Wednesday. Ron was just sitting down to breakfast when Errol flew through the open window, doing an impressive kamikaze into the butter. Laughter rose up as it always did at the old owl's antics. Mrs. Weasley bustled over with an amused smirk, which quickly morphed into shock as she read the letter addressed to Ron.

"What is it Mom?" Ginny asked, bewildered by the strange expression on her mother's face. Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and after a moment she looked up and directly at Ron.

"It's for you honey, it's your Hogwarts letter, isn't that great!" Smiling warmly she handed Ron the letter and sat next to her husband. They were all looking at him, surprise and relief clear on their faces. They were expecting something from him, maybe excitement or surprise.

He wasn't surprised. He knew he had magic, just last week he had an accidental burst of magic that exploded an old stuffed animal in his closet. But for some reason things like that had never happened around his family and he certainly wasn't going to tell them about it when it happened while he was a lone. Like he'd even get the chance to speak out… about anything without being ignored or spoken over.

His family had been living under the impression for years that Ron was most likely a Squib and Ron didn't have the energy to correct them. Now here he was, eleven years old, a few months away from going to Hogwarts and his siblings finally had something in common with him. Fred and George were particularly excited to see how Ron reacted to the letter. Leaning forward in their seats to catch a glimpse of his face at the other end of the table.

A few weeks ago they had caught their little brother in the kitchen with a knife, twirling it between his fingers with a most peculiar expression on his face. Ever since they had been curious about what went on in Ron's head. He was so unlike the rest of the family. Quiet and cautious, he had many strange habits which Fred and George hadn't even realized until that moment in the kitchen that they had overlooked all their lives.

Like the way he always sat with his back against the wall. In fact he never turned his back on anyone, always making sure he was the last to enter a room. He loved chess, one of the few things the whole family knew about him, and three days ago they challenged him to a game. Only they were watching Ron instead of the game and they were disturbed by the level of concentration and intensity to which he annihilated them.

What disturbed them even more was that no one else in the family seemed to notice this strange behavior. Granted they hadn't noticed it either until the incident in the kitchen, but they had short attention spans, what was everyone else's excuse? Point is, Ron was a mystery and Fred & George were too curious for their own good.

Ron simply shrugged in response and said "Cool" before continuing to eat his oatmeal. This threw everyone for a loop, what kid was excited to go to Hogwarts but shrugged it off.

"What house do you think you'll be in Ron?" Ginny asked excitedly bouncing in her seat. She looked up to all her brothers and Ron was no different, though he made it much harder than the rest of them ever did. Again he shrugged, and she sat back disappointed.

"What are you on about Ginny, he'll be in Gryffindor! All Weasleys go to Gryffindor." Charlie exclaimed. He and Bill were spending the summer with their family for the first time since leaving Hogwarts and were anxious to catch up with their siblings who felt like strangers after such a long absence.

"C'mon Bill, it's not like it's a requirement!" Bill interjected. "I bet he's in Ravenclaw, he's great at chess and…. well… you like to read don't you Ron, I think I've seen you with a book"

"Merlin knows where he got that from!" Mr. Weasley remarked and everyone laughed and that was how it was settled. Ron was going to Hogwarts that fall, and he'd be in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and that was that. Nobody asked him anything more about it, not that he would have told them the truth.

The truth was that at eleven years old he already knew what he wanted from his future, and while Ravenclaw was good he didn't feel much attached to the house or its reputation and Gryffindor definitely wasn't going to help him get what he wanted.

No, he knew what house he wanted but no way was he about to tell his family of lions about it. He had appearances to keep up, a game he played with himself that allowed him to mature his ideas without interference. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent underneath. Ron smirked into his oatmeal through the rest of the meal. No one noticed, except the twins.

* * *

It wasn't unusual for representatives from any number of schools to show up at the Granger household, but never had one looked so strange. A little man that only came up to Hermione's chest, with crazy white hair sticking up all over the place, and a high pitched voice that made him sound like a giggling school girl.

This man was Filius Flitwick, a professor at a very prestigious boarding school in Scotland that the Granger family, apparently, just had to send their daughter to. They invited the man in for tea and to discuss this 'amazing' school and it's opportunities for their daughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger weren't very affectionate parents. They had never wanted children but when Hermione came along they decided that they weren't the type of people to shirk their responsibilities. In the last eleven years as her parents they fulfilled every legal obligation to her that was required of them and in a way they were proud of her accomplishments in school and her incredible intellect.

It meant she could leave the nest faster than average kids and they could get back to their quiet life with no interruptions. Plus whatever extraordinary things she accomplished in her life would reflect wonderfully on them as her parents. It's the best of both worlds.

They sat down in the den, Filius on one side of the coffee table with Hermione and her parents on the couch opposite him. He was different than the other representatives, Hermione noticed right away. It wasn't just his odd appearance (who wears robes out of the house?) or strangely excited confusion at ordinary items like the TV, it was how from the moment he knocked on the door he seemed to know something about her that she didn't.

It felt like he knew the outcome of this meeting and she didn't like how he just assumed he was going to get his way with….whatever it is he seems so eager to talk about. Practically bouncing in his seat over there, Hermione couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes and before he could even say a word she leaned forward in her seat and said,

"Well, what do you want Mr. Flitwick. And before you start spouting off the company line about how great your school is, you should know that after graduating secondary school two years ago I have been working on personal projects in some very sensitive areas of science. If I were to go to University, which I'm not planning on right now, you would need to offer me something pretty spectacular." With that she leaned back on the couch and crossed her arms, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

Filius stared at her in awe for a moment. Truthfully he was amazed at her rapid fire speech with barely a breath between words. Dumbledore told the staff she was smart, genius level he said. Everyone laughed and Pomona made a comment about me getting another raven for my collection. So Filius took the task of telling this new muggleborn student about the Wizarding world; he wanted to see just how smart she really was. Turns out, Dumbledore was right but he hadn't counted on the attitude.

She was direct too, no nonsense for this girl. _Well_, he thought, _let's not beat around the bush_. He took a deep breath, leaned forward, and said,

"Hermione Granger, you are a witch" there was a pause and then

"Excuse me", "I beg your pardon", "What?" The standard questions all came from Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger and Hermione respectively. They were astounded and a little insulted. Filius, used to this, continued with the explanation.

"I mean that literally. You have magic. My school is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's not specialized I'm afraid, not a school of higher education, but it is the only school in the country that teaches young witches and wizards how to harness the gifts they are born with."

"This can't be true, you're trying to pull a fast one on us aren't you. Well, ha ha. Now get out." Mr. Granger stood up at accentuate his point.

"Hermione can't have magic she's a normal little girl, you're mistaken!" Mrs. Granger said and that stung a little. Hermione hadn't been normal since that first IQ test came back but for once, Hermione bit her tongue. She didn't speak out, because she had a scary feeling that Mr. Flitwick wasn't making this up and even worse, she didn't want him to be. If this was true then it all made sense.

For the last year and a half she had been experiencing some pretty strange things she couldn't account for, which was a first for her. She first noticed it when she got off the bus to the library. She saw him across the street, Tommy. She never had gotten back at him. Not really, a few death threats hidden in his locker and planting evidence of various crimes on his person or in his room that eventually landed him in juvie for a while.

But it wasn't what she really wanted to do to him. She wanted to get up close and personal as she sliced away his dignity and his will to live until he was nothing more than a hollowed out husk of a man. Then she would kill him, nice and slow.

But she was still too small, and for all her brains and cruel imagination there was only so much she could physically do. Unless someone helped her she would never get the revenge against Tommy that she so desperately desired. But that wasn't possible, she didn't have any friends. Let alone have close enough friends that she could commit murder around without them ratting her out.

As she stared at Tommy she could almost feel the hate she had for his mere existence rise within her and lash out. Next thing she knew his coat was on fire and he was screaming as it spread. She started walking away very quickly as if she had done it, but she was across the street. That definitely wasn't possible, was it? The anomaly started happening more and more, like a floodgate had been opened and she wasn't exactly trying to close it.

She began to do experiments on herself, tried to figure out where it came from and how it worked. But she was stonewalled at every turn. The most she could figure was that it was tied to the electrical impulses in her brain which is why it fluctuated with her emotions. Now here was her answer, magic. A part of her wanted to refute such ancient terminology but what else could you call it. Certainly nothing in her sciences could explain it very well.

Perhaps if she went to this school she could study the phenomenon more closely, and once she had control over it…. Oh the things she could do. Punishing Tommy would only be first on a long list of things she could finally accomplish with such power.

While she had been considering this Filius was calming down the parents and proving the validity of his claim. Interestingly enough, despite levitating the coffee table right in front of her Ms. Granger didn't appear to be paying attention.

Once the parents were settled, shocked into silence, Filius turned to Hermione and said,

"Well, what'll it be Ms. Granger? Do remember that without proper training your power will only become more and more uncontrollable as you age, you could hurt someone."

Hermione just smirked, "When do I leave?"

* * *

Kings Cross Station was crowded and Harry Potter did not like it one bit. It was 10:40 am and his uncle had just dropped him off. Now, he had to navigate the busy train station, to find a platform that couldn't exist, all while trying not to draw attention to himself.

Right, and then maybe he'll make a balloon out of farts and fly it to the moon. That seemed as likely considering the number of people already looking at him. Plus the fact that every time he moved, his chest burned. Hedwig hooted indignantly as man elbowed past them. Heaving a sigh, Harry walked until he found platform nine. Then ten. Nothing in between. _Well that figures_, he thought.

This was all wrong, what was he even doing here? A huge guy in animal skins knocks on your door in the middle of the night and you just go along with everything he tells you, Insane! But still, Harry couldn't deny how much sense it made. Magic.

As ridiculous as it sounded, such an explanation accounted for so many things that he always wanted to know. Why the Dursley's always hated him and cursed his parents. They were scared. Why he could try and be good with every ounce of his being and still do something wrong, out of the ordinary, strange. Because he couldn't help it. He was born this way, and it was everyone else's fault for ever making him feel that it was his fault.

That kind of clarity came with a price though. His past had always been a mystery to him, but even with this fundamental piece of information, it only brought up more mysteries that he needed more information to solve.

That's why he went along with the beast and his confounding lack of answers to even basic questions like, oh I don't know, how to find this platform 9 and ¾. He needed to get to Hogwarts so he could finally take his life into his own hands. But that required getting on the right platform.

Harry let out a frustrated noise, somewhere between a sigh and a whine, before bonking his head down on the trolley handle bar annoyed. His thoughts were running in circles and he only had ten minutes left to get on the platform. That's when he heard it.

"Packed with muggles of course, come on you lot this way" Harry whipped his head around to see a plump woman with fiery red hair walking his way with several children following her, all with the same red hair. He backed his trolley up to give them some room. When she got there she looked him over rather tactlessly but with a warm smile and said,

"Well, hello! First time at Hogwarts?" He nodded unsure of the protocol here. Should he look her in the eye, or would she think that disrespectful? Speak up or stay quiet and wait for her to give him some inkling of what she wanted out of this interaction.

Mrs. Weasley looked on this little boy with the downcast eyes and messy raven colored hair. Clothes too big for him and glasses all taped up. She felt pity rise to dangerous proportions within her heart as she asked with her kindest smile,

"Do you know how to get onto the platform?" again he shook his head but he looked her the eye this time and she saw something she hadn't expected. They weren't scared or sad, his eyes were harsh, angry. She flinched back, startled, but it would take more than that to stop her from inflicting kindness on everyone she met.

She quickly explained how the platform worked and sent her oldest and the twins through to show him. She asked if he understood and he nodded quickly. Without so much as a goodbye or a thank you he was through the barrier. Huffing, she turned to look at Ron who was staring curiously after the mystery boy before remarking,

"Well he was a quiet one. Much like you Ron." He turned to peer at her, as though he had no idea where that observation came from, but said nothing. Huffing again, even more annoyed now, she said,

"You might want to look into that, you seem like two pees in a pod." And she was off through the barrier, Ginny in tow.

Meanwhile, on the platform Harry had paused. He took a moment to just revel in the majesty of the train and what it symbolized for this next chapter of his life. He did something he hadn't done in a very long time. He smiled. Then the train whistle blew and he hurried to get on the train.

After he was settled in a compartment he relaxed a little and began to stare out into the see of parents coming to see their kids off. It made his heart twinge a little so he ignored them and focused on the family who helped him get on the platform. The twins were making fun of the older one who obviously couldn't take a joke and everyone else was laughing. Wait not everyone else, someone was missing.

The boy, about his age but much taller, he wasn't with them. Harry had hardly noticed the other boy until all his brothers had disappeared through the barrier. He was quiet, much like Harry, and kept looking over his shoulder at the other commuters suspiciously.

Harry didn't have time to wonder where he had gone when a knock sounded on his compartment door. He looked over at who had to be the missing boy from what he could see through the opaque glass. Hair like that could probably be used as a torch.

He got up and opened the door, watching as Ron came in and put an old beat up trunk in the overhead then sat down in the corner opposite Harry, staring at him. He only stared for a moment before leaning forward with a huge, bright smile on his face and saying,

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley. What's your name?" He extends his hand and his face is showing nothing but friendliness. Yet Harry knows something is off with him. The smile looks convincing but his eyes are expectant and harsh, Harry's seen it enough times in the mirror to know the difference between normal and…. broken. He smirks, leaning forward to shake and says,

"I'm Harry Potter. A pleasure I'm sure" He sat back to see what he would do, but Ron kept surprising him. He just sat back with a thoughtful expression and said,

"Huh, interesting."

They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes as the train pulled away from the station. It had been a long time since Harry had interacted with anyone outside his family and Ron was just confused about what he should say or do to keep his cover with a kid his own age. Before either of them could think of something to say, they heard a commotion in the hall. They looked at each other before rushing to the door to see what was wrong.

In the hall, Hermione was having a bit of a rough time. She had just been patrolling the halls after changing into her uniform, trying to get a feel for the student body she would be a part of. So far she had not been impressed by what she's seen.

Boys and girls, her age and above, acting like fools. Playing games, gossiping, and this. Two ape-ish looking boys picking on a big eared boy her age that looked close to tears. Hermione can deal with a lot of things from the Neanderthals that surround her on a daily basis, but if there is one thing Hermione is intolerant of, it's bullies of any kind.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asks them with all the contempt she has, which is a surprising amount actually.

"Uuuhh, fun?" The huge guy to the left said stupidly. He had the boy by his ankles and was still shaking his money out. A frog fell out of his hand and started hopping away.

"Trevor!" He yelled and started crying. Hermione felt her fury rising within her, memories of her childhood coming back to her with startling clarity, and she couldn't contain it anymore. She screamed and ran at the two laughing boys and started hitting, kicking, and biting at whatever she could get her hands on.

This startled them and they let the boy go. He scrambled up, face blotchy from tears, yelled a quick thanks over the sounds of fighting and ran after his frog. Not before nearly bumping into two boys hanging out of their compartment watching the scene.

Harry and Ron were astounded by what they were seeing. They looked at each other with an amused smirk and a foreign feeling passed between them that they had never felt before. A feeling like…comradery. They turned back to the scene as the fatter one punched the little bushy haired kamikaze in the face. She fell on her back, blood running from her nose but all she did was snarl and get right back up to go at it again.

Without thinking Harry ran out and took hold of her arms to stop her from, probably, killing herself and he yelled back at Ron to help him. Ron was hesitant but he admired Harry's nerve, plus the girl was crazy which made him want to see more of what she would do at Hogwarts. He couldn't let her die here.

He rushed forward to help subdue her because she was already fighting off Harry. Screaming obscenities and snarling at the two bullies who were just amazed and confused at what had happened, too stupid to even laugh. The prefects were coming so Ron motioned with his head that they should bring her into their compartment. Harry nodded and they started dragging her into the compartment while trying to quiet her.

They got her into a seat when she popped up, all righteous anger, and started at them. Harry was in a lot of pain from the struggle to get her in here. The fact that she was going for them after they had just saved her ass, angered him beyond measure. Before she could land anything Harry reared back his arm and punched her square in the face.

There was a cracking noise and her head hit the wall so hard the two boys felt it and flinched. The crazy girl slumped over on her side in the seat, passed out. Then there was silence. After a few minutes the shock wore off and Ron could hear his brother, Percy, asking their neighbors what all the commotion was. Harry had a surprised expression as he looked at his hand and the girl.

Ron looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes into their journey and Hogwarts was already shaping up to be more fun than the first eleven years of his life. He turned to Harry with a smirk and said wryly,

"This should be exciting." Harry turned to him looking so incredulously exasperated that Ron did something he hadn't done in years. He laughed. The most cathartic laughter he had ever experienced and Harry joined in.

Two broken boys, laughing together on a train ride to the rest of their lives. What could be sweeter?


	3. A train ride to destiny

With a start, Hermione came back to consciousness. She sat up, rubbing at the goose egg on the back of her head. She looked on impetuously as the two boys across from her lounged casually in the seat.

The taller red-head was smiling broadly at her while unwrapping a disgusting looking sandwich. He sat with his back to the corner and occasionally glanced at the other boy and raise his eyebrows like, _can you believe this chick_. He seemed a bit….creepy, like he was trying too hard to appear relaxed, his smile too tight. He was pretty good though, most people wouldn't notice, but she wasn't most people. She turned towards the boy he looked to.

This one was harder to read. He was leaning forward in his seat, as if eager to talk, but his face was closed off and calculating. Except when the redhead would look at him and do that face thing. Then his lips would twitch and he'd take off his round broken glasses and clean them nervously, probably to hide his lip twitch, before perching them precariously on his nose again and continuing to stare at her.

In the few minutes she had been observing them since waking up this cycle of behavior happened three times. And it was really starting to annoy. They confused her, these two boys. Studying them she had no idea what they wanted from her or their motive for dragging her away from the troubling episode with the bully.

She sat up straight, '_because perfect posture is important', _she thought sternly. She smoothed out her hair and robes and said, with as much condescension as she could muster,

"And who might you be, charming captors?"

She smiled dangerously at them. Ron raised his eyebrows at Harry before remarking

"Well, looky-there. She can talk." He turned back to her and jokingly added,

"We thought for a moment that a rabid animal got onboard and some prankster transfigured it to look like a girl."

Hermione narrowed her eyes in contempt and said, "Yes, well, we are all animals technically. Though some of us are more evolved than others."

"Evolved, huh?" Ron clicked his tongue in challenge, looking her up and down.

"I don't know, you seemed pretty ape-like to me, what with the hair. But now that I can get a good look, I'd have to say you're more of a chipmunk." Ron the proceeded to mime a chipmunk biting, his lower lip sucked in with his two front teeth still out making them look abnormally larger.

Harry, meanwhile, was smirking at this sudden battle of wits but he had had enough and said,

"Alright children, let's settle down now." His voice was a bit hoarse from disuse. He coughed to clear it as he sat back, trying to look relaxed. It did not work very well.

"As for why you're here, this is our compartment. I'm Harry, this is Ron. Say 'hi' Ron."

"Hi, Ron." Harry snorted when Ron said it slowly and waggled his eyebrows seductively. The corner of his mouth lifting, Harry continued.

"We brought you in here because you decided to go ape-shit crazy on some **tree** right outside our door. It was loud and, frankly, funny you know. If not for the fact that he was about to kill you. That would have kind of put a damper on the first day, don't you think? So, we saved you…your welcome."

He paused then, looking her over. Harry wasn't great at reading people, he didn't even know where to start. But she seemed upset despite the fact that she was sitting still and being really quiet. Or was that a clue that she **was** upset. Yes, no, Harry couldn't be sure and he definitely did not trust his instincts when it came to human interaction. So instead he asked the most prevalent question on his mind. The exact wrong question.

"Why exactly did you do that? You just snapped, over nothing…why?"

Hermione had tensed up when he described the situation, staring right through him, but when Harry asked that her attention snapped back to him. She stood in anger, fury welling within her at his audacity to ask such a personal question. One she was still trying to figure out herself.

She barely heard Ron say "Uh oh, duck and cover." Before she looked Harry right in the eye, glaring coldly, and said,

"That is none of your business, you! I should, however, thank you for getting me in here before the prefects showed up but as the coast seems to be clear I think it's high time I be on my way. Harry, Ron." She nodded cordially to each in turn and marched to the door. But when she got there she couldn't resist getting one last jab in. She looked back and smirked condescendingly,

"What kind of name is Harry anyway? It's dreadfully boring and …. Common. Especially for one so famous. You might want to consider changing it." With that she flew out of the room. Harry, meanwhile sat there stunned.

He was stunned partly because she mentioned his fame and wasn't yet used to people connecting the dots and automatically knowing his story. But mostly it was what she said about his name. It was the same thing his aunt used to say to him many times throughout his childhood, always meant as an insult towards his parents.

He didn't like it then from her and he didn't like it now from a girl he had just met, and had only tried to help. He could feel Ron looking at him as his expression hardened. No doubt wondering why her words affected him so much. Well, let him wonder. Harry did not exactly feel like having a heart to heart about his crappy childhood. So he turned to Ron and asked about his family.

Ron let it go, wasn't his place to pry after all, and started filling Harry in on the dynamics of the Wizarding World that he got to experience his whole life as a pureblood. Harry responded in kind, marking the differences between them and the muggle world. Always avoiding his family. Ron could understand that, after giving a vague outline of his immediate family he hadn't mentioned them either.

It was a wonderful feeling to finally be out from under the thumb of his parents and terrible shadow that the rest of his family cast on him. When Harry talked to him, he knew that for the first time someone was talking to and seeing only him and no one else. He reveled in it so much that he started relaxing, loosening up, and even cracking jokes.

Harry too was feeling the effects of relaxation. The longer he talked to Ron without any kind of insulting remarks towards him the calmer he felt. He had a curious feeling that they were becoming…

_'Don't get ahead of yourself there Harry. You're not here for that_.' His thoughts on **that** particular subject were so confused and jumbled he decided he wouldn't even think about it anymore and instead heard the sound of the lunch trolley in the hall.

"Wow, we must have been talking for hours." He said.

"Yeah, weird. I think this is the longest I've talked to anybody in my life," Ron replied with a laugh. "At least without being told to go away."

Harry looked over at that. His smile was genuine but it was a sad statement. Of course Harry didn't have anything better to say for his life but that was obvious enough to him. The question was, why was Ron's reactions the same as his? Why was he so sad despite the levity they had been enjoying?

Harry wondered about this as they got some food. '_Was Ron's childhood like mine?_'

They were settled in the seat facing each other as they began on their meal. The stupid sandwiches Ron doesn't even like lay forgotten in the corner. A generous pile of goodies sat before them, thanks to Harry, and Ron had just been explaining chocolate frogs and wizard pictures to him using this Dumbledore card, when someone opened the door and walked right in.

Harry looked up at a pale blonde boy with a pointed face, flanked by the two goons from earlier. It was amazing, Harry reflected, how he managed to scan the whole compartment while looking down his nose at it.

He raised an eyebrow at Ron like, _'what's his problem'_, only to see Ron pale and try to sink further into the seat as if trying to match the upholstery. He turned to look back at the intruder with distaste. Because he was certain whoever could make Ron so wary and withdrawn was not someone to align himself with.

"Well, Hello stranger!" Harry said with false brightness. "Whatcha, doing?" He continued, falling back on a sneer. Harry, of course, remembered him from Madame Malkin's in Diagon Alley. He hadn't liked the boy's attitude, he still doesn't.

Crinkling his nose at Harry, the boy regarded him closely for the first time. Recognition flashed behind his eyes as he noticed the scar. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat.

"Apologies Mr. Potter. I didn't recognize you. How rude of me, I'm Draco Malfoy. A pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand but quickly withdrew at Harry's stony expression and raised eyebrow.

"Yes, well." He drew himself up with an air of importance.

"My friends here were attacked by some crazy little bitch in the hall. They said she came in here."

Several minutes passed uncomfortably until Malfoy grew impatient. He huffed,

"Well."

"Well, what?" Harry said calmly, enjoying the sight of Malfoy going pink in the cheeks. It was faint but still there, reminding him of something…

Malfoy was flustering now,

"Well, do you know who she is? Do you know her name so I can find her?"

"Why do you want to find her? So she attacked your boys. They look like they can take care of themselves."

Sighing, "That's not the point. Look I know you were sent to live with muggles after…what happened. And I'm sorry."

Harry's eyes widened and he clenched his fists because '_was it obvious? Could everyone see what had happened to him? Oh God._'

Malfoy didn't notice Harry's internal struggle, though Ron did. Sitting up, finally, and trying to figure out why Harry looked so panicked. Malfoy went on.

"But the Wizarding world is so much more complex. Steeped in tradition with a rich history going back millennia. One of which, is that you don't let some upstart little mudblood get the better of you. Cuz' that's what she was, she was wearing their clothes and she was stupid and… *huff* It's a matter of pride. An example must be made."

He was getting mad now. Harry could tell because the red in his cheeks got darker and he felt a pang in his gut that was both familiar and strange when he saw it. He didn't know why he kept staring at the redness. '_It must just be the contrast from his normal pallor._'

Either way, he did not like the nameless feeling it inspired in him. So, Harry fell back on a more familiar feeling, loathing hatred.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for your condolences on my upbringing. And for pointing out the finer points of the Wizarding World. But, I don't know anything about that girl or that fight so if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my previous conversation as it was so much more enjoyable than this one."

Malfoy jerked back his head, as if slapped, then narrowed his eyes at the two of them. Finally noticing Harry's dislike of him he switched tactics. Going on the offensive he turned to Ron scowling.

Ron looked away instinctively, baring his neck, though no one noticed this peculiar trait as he submitted to the sucky moment that was about to happen. Harry was too busy admiring how big of a racist dick this guy was and looking at that redness, wishing there was more.

"I see you two have been chatty then. No need to ask who you are. Red hair, shabby robes, and dirt on your nose. Typical Weasley, probably been filling your head with all those muggle loving ideas." He turned back to Harry, calmer.

"The Weasley's are an old Wizarding family but the wrong sort to go making alliances with. They're poor as dirt with all sorts of crooked ideas. Idiots, the lot of them, all in Gryffindor. And there are a lot of them. My father calls them pests because they breed like garden gnomes."

Malfoy stopped to take a breath as if he'd been waiting to get that out of his system since he'd first laid eyes on Ron.

"Someone of your stature should seriously think about trading up before we get to Hogwarts. I can help you there."

That snapped Harry out of his reverie in a hurry. He looked at Ron, who was still staring at the floor, his neck red. For some reason this made Harry mad and offended on his behalf instead of… that other feeling.

Incensed he stood up, looked straight at Malfoy and said, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself. I like Ron, he's funny and smart and nice to me without expecting anything in return. He might even be a friend. You, on the other hand, are a spoiled, obnoxious brat who doesn't even know enough to know when he's not welcome. So I'll keep it simple. Get. The Hell. Out Of Our. **Compartment**. You Dick!"

Malfoy was practically snarling by the end of that speech. The red in his cheeks even more pronounced and it made Harry smile in victory, his eyes flashing. Not knowing what else to do he turned tail and stomped out. His goons following stupidly.

Their absence left an awkward silence filling the room. Harry and Ron went back to eating their candy until Ron looked up, his stare unreadable, and said,

"So, you think we're friends then." Harry, froze, nervous. _'Have I made some social faux pas? Was it too soon for that kind of talk? Oh, no.'_ He looked up only to find Ron smiling. It wasn't like the other ones, all tight and fake, it was a shy but genuine smiles as he said,

"That's cool. I've never had a friend before."

"Me neither." Harry said smiling just as shyly. Something clicked then, the air grew calm and happy and that was that. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione Granger was confused. It was a strange feeling she wasn't used to having. She was sitting in her compartment all alone, _'just the way I like it'_, staring at the words of a book she'd already memorized.

'_Why did I go crazy on those boys?_' She had been contemplating the question since she had left Harry and Ron's compartment. She thought herself in, out, and around the entire event several times and she couldn't figure it out. She'd been walking along the corridor when she saw them standing there, hold a boy upside down by his ankles. The boy was average, round face made ugly by fat tears rolling down it and snot bubbling at the corners of his nose.

Her photographic memory helped her recall the picture perfectly. What was harder to remember was what exactly she felt about it. She tried, but it was chaotic and the only discernible feelings she could find were hatred, anger, and ….disappointment. The hatred was simple enough to understand, she hated bullies. But disappointment? She sighed and set the book down, choosing to look out the window instead,

She supposed, if she really thought about it, she was disappointed because she thought this new school would be different. She thought it would have been… better than her old school. She thought maybe here people would appreciate her intelligence, she'd make friends, and be normal among witches and wizards the way she never had been in the muggle world.

But when she saw those bullies doing to that boy what had been done to her so many times, she knew it wasn't going to be any different. That's where the anger came in, she guessed. '_How can I be so smart and so naïve at the same time_', she scolded herself.

Then again, this is all hypothetical, if she really thought about it. Which she wasn't…thinking about it. Nor did she want to, it was just a fluke. So, Hermione Granger did what she did best and pushed down her uncomfortable feelings in favor of something more productive.

She got up and changed into her school robes and pulled her hair into a pony tail. As she did this she noticed that her head still smarted from that knock she took earlier. She felt it and it was definitely still swelling. So she took out her wand and water bottle transfigured the water into ice. Well, partially. She still wasn't used to the whole wand and magic words thing. She practiced the spells she memorized at home with a normal stick so as not to get in trouble and still learn as much as she could before going to school.

She had hoped the gap between the real act of casting magic with her wand and the practicing she did over holiday wasn't too substantial. And looking at the end product in her hand she felt proud at her forethought. She put the partially frozen water bottle up to her head and thought to herself, _'see, I don't need friends_.'

But even as she thought it she couldn't help remembering the two boys who saved her. Because that is what they did. Not just from getting her ass handed to her but from getting into trouble. She'd never been in trouble before and she would probably **die** if she ever did. Those boys. Annoying Ron with the witty retorts thrown down as fast as her own, and Harry with that amused look and calm attitude.

She wondered what they were doing right now. What house would they be in? She stared at the setting sun. Hermione Granger didn't need friends. But maybe, she did kind of want them.

* * *

Ron was nervous. As they were finishing the sweets Harry turned pensive and started watching the sunset. The silence was comfortable enough but still, it made him nervous. 'Is he rethinking our friendship? What did I do? Why am I freaking out so much, I only met him a few hours ago?' He didn't know what to do or think about Harry and him being friends. Ron had only ever really had one friend. But he didn't count because… friendship wasn't the only thing Mr. Addison wanted from him.

"So, how did you know that Malfoy guy?" Harry said, startling Ron.

"I don't really. I just know of his family. The Malfoy's and the Weasley's are both very old Wizarding families but unlike the Malfoy's we don't go in for all that pureblood mania. We don't mind muggles, my father actually loves them. To families like the Malfoy's this makes us what they call 'Blood-traitors'"

"Dramatic, much?"

"Right!" And they laughed.

"So what did he mean by that word, Gryffindor?"

"Wow, I keep forgetting how much you don't know. Didn't Hagrid tell you about the houses?" Ron replied.

"All he said about Houses was that there were four of them. Two named Hufflepuff and Slytherin and that Voldemort was in Slytherin." Ron inhaled sharply at the sound of the name but Harry kept going.

"Oh, and that we are all sorted into houses based on our attributes." Ron exhaled.

"Right, well that's all true. But you should know that one of the most famous things about Hogwarts is the house rivalries. And they stretch far beyond the walls of Hogwarts. Especially the one between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"But, why?" Harry asked, confused. It seemed so pointless to him. Holding old school grudges.

"Many reasons I guess. The houses are named after the four founders of Hogwarts. Legend has it that Slytherin and Gryffindor were enemies. Slytherin was this bad guy and Gryffindor was the stalwart hero who kicked him out of the school yada yada yada, something along those lines. But the grudge between the two houses has existed ever since. And because of that they say that only dark and evil wizards come out of Slytherin while Gryffindors are known for being brave and righteous. They're the heroes." Ron scoffed and looked down, conflicted.

"What do you think?" Ron looked up, confused. Harry sat across from him, he was looking at him respectfully, trusting his opinion.

"Do you think Slytherin's a bad house that only turns out dark wizards?"

Though neither boy knew it, what Ron said next would change the course of their lives. Ron's eyes cleared and he looked at Harry, their fate decided.

"No. I've read all about it. The official synopsis is that it's a house for the ambitious and sly. It's for people with the determination and skill to become powerful and respected wizards and witches. And that's where I'm going." Hands clenched and eyes steely, Ron certainly looked determined enough to get in.

Harry thought about the characteristics Ron listed and he felt something stirring inside. Ambitious? Oh yeah. Harry had many goals for his life, not least of which was to become a powerful person in a position of authority. Sly? Considering all the schemes and lying he resorted to in order to avoid/get away from the Dursley's, Harry's pretty sure he's sly and sneaky enough to meet that criteria. Determined? He thought of the Dursley's and **all** that they had done to him. Yes, he was determined.

Harry looked at Ron and couldn't think of a better house to spend his school years. But…

"How do you know you'll get in? Do you get to pick? And didn't Malfoy say you're whole family was in Gryffindor?" Ron's expression fell.

"Yes. Well, no. I mean, we don't get to pick the house we want. It's some sort of test that sorts us but nobody knows what it is. It's the best kept secret in the Wizarding world. No book writes about it, wizarding families don't tell their children about it, all in order to keep the mystery alive. And yes, my whole family has been in Gryffindor, thanks for reminding me." Ron sighed, he suddenly looked very tired.

"That's another reason why our families hate each other. All of the Malfoy's have been in Slytherin, All the Weasley's go to Gryffindor. Trace both of our families back hundreds of years and you'll find that one consistent fact. The Malfoy-Weasley rivalry is probably as old as the house rivalry, and that house rivalry is probably the reason for it."

Harry digested all of this new information couldn't help but agree with his earlier assessment. It was ridiculous all this grudge holding rivalry. But, it could have its uses. Harry looked up at Ron and smirked.

"So what you're saying is, that should you get into Slytherin, your dream house, it would probably be really big news. A Weasley in Slytherin. Might even cause an uproar, you changing the status quo like that." Ron smiled in return, leaning forward. He could see the wheels turning in Harry's head as he leaned forward excitedly.

"Probably. Might be one of the reasons I'm doing It.", he said, smirking.

"Ok, let's face facts, Ron. My coming to Hogwarts is huge news, everyone is going to be watching me and talking about me. I know what people do around celebrities, my aunt was obsessed with them. It's going to suck! But if I went into Slytherin, with all that stigma about dark wizards and stuff, everyone would probably be too frightened or shocked to bother me. But, I could help to fix this ridiculous rift between the houses. Plus, I'd get to be with you." He smiled at Ron, encouraging him to follow his line of thought. Ron did.

"And if I get into Slytherin like I planned, I'd not only have a friend. I could openly be friends with one of the most famous people in the wizarding world. Which will only continue to set me apart from my family like I wanted in the first place.

"Bingo!" Harry said, excitedly. Glad to have a less sappy reason to have Ron as a friend.

"What?"

"Nothing, forget it. Point is, we have to make sure we both get into Slytherin. Once there, we'll figure out the rest. You know, choose our allies, make connections, and most of all figure what we want to do once we leave Hogwarts." Harry said firmly.

"First we should probably learn a little magic. That might help." Ron said, smiling. He was amused by Harry's eagerness and vision, but couldn't deny its appeal. Harry laughed at that. Still excited, but more subdued he said,

"So many paths are open to us now. You and me, magic and fame and who knows what else that may come in our future, you watch. We're going to be amazing. Everyone will know the names of Potter and Weasley, when they hear those names they'll think of us. You wait and see. Everyone will love us."

Eyes shining bright they looked at each other, the promise of a future they'd only dreamed of flashing before them. A future filled with love and adoration they had been denied their entire lives. They ignored the pain and issues that lurked beneath the surface. Not knowing it was too late for that. Not knowing that someday, they would decide that everyone fearing them was a much better alternative to love.


End file.
